"I'm fine." Lin Yuqing sniffed, forced a smile, and patted the back of her hand.

“Sister Yuqing,” Jiang Can paused, wanting to say something but not saying it, only saying softly, “Well, you should get some rest. If anything happens, don’t keep it to yourself. Just treat me as a confidant and talk to me about it.”

"But if you don't want to say, then I won't ask."

“Can Can, I…” Lin Yuqing hesitated before speaking.

After a long while, she whispered, "I don't think I'm good enough for Shen Xiao."

"What?"

"I'm not good enough for him." She bit her lip. "I...I had something going on with that person before..."

Although she didn't say anything more, Jiang Can understood what had happened.

She was somewhat surprised. Lin Yuqing had always given her the impression of being sunny and cheerful. Although she could be a bit feisty at times, she was definitely not a casual person when it came to matters of the heart.

If a woman is not deeply in love with a man, why would she easily give herself away?

Jiang Can's heart tightened, and he touched her fingers, gently squeezing them twice.

"Sister Yuqing, you're overthinking it," she said softly. "There's nothing shameful about the past. You and that person truly loved each other, and I believe you were determined to spend your life with him when you gave yourself to him."

"So if that accident hadn't happened back then, you'd still be together now, right?"

Lin Yuqing remained silent, not uttering a single word.

“Sister Yuqing, I understand why you can’t accept Dr. Shen. It’s not because you’re not good enough for him, but because there’s no place for anyone else in your heart except for him.”

“Can Can…” Lin Yuqing’s voice choked with emotion.

Jiang Can moved closer and hugged her trembling body like a mother comforting a baby, gently patting her back.

“Actually, I don’t think it’s a big deal,” she said. “It’s normal for people to have a past. Besides, what era are we living in? People should be used to this kind of thing by now. I also believe that Shen Xiao won’t hold it against you.”

"Really?" Lin Yuqing chuckled softly, unable to believe that these words came from Jiang Can's mouth.

“Of course,” Jiang Can continued. “What Gu Mang said is that we’re no longer in the feudal era, and a woman’s chastity isn’t that important.”

“You listen to everything he says…” Lin Yuqing sighed, shifted her body, and pressed her arm under her head.

"You'd better be careful! I think he's a pretty chauvinistic guy, maybe he's all talk and no action! A woman's innocence isn't important? That sounds nice! Ha, it's only because you've never been in a relationship or seen a man before! If you told him you had a first love, do you think he'd be so calm?"

"Sigh!" Jiang Can said, both amused and exasperated. "Have you forgotten all the oaths and promises you made?"

"This isn't exactly bad talk, is it?" Lin Yuqing laughed in disbelief. "I'm just expressing my immature opinion about Gu Mang! If you don't want to hear it, I won't say anything."

Jiang Can pinched her hard.

After laughing and joking for a while, they soon felt sleepy and gradually drifted off to sleep.

Jiang Can's dream was filled with colorful bubbles and a large love knot. She saw Gu Mang smiling at her. She ran towards him quickly, but just as she was about to take his hand, the scene suddenly turned black and white!

Gu Mang had vanished, and a fierce wind howled, accompanied by torrential rain. The world seemed to be swallowing her up like a giant black hole, and when she looked down, the red string on her wrist had transformed into a gruesome wound, gushing blood…

"Ah!" Jiang Can exclaimed softly, waking up in a cold sweat.

She composed herself and saw that Lin Yuqing was sleeping soundly beside her.

It was just a dream.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. Seeing the faint light of dawn outside, and realizing she couldn't sleep anymore, she put on a coat, got up, and left the guesthouse.

Jiang Can wandered aimlessly along the hillside. The tranquil morning air here was like a paradise, gradually relaxing her nerves that had been tense from her nightmare.

The seaside is not far down the mountain.

She suddenly felt a strong urge to go for a walk on the beach.

Jiang Can smoothed her long hair, a light smile blooming on her lips, and strolled towards the beach in her slippers.

...

Gu Mang tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

He couldn't sleep well without Jiang Can by his side. But Jiang Can and Lin Yuqing had some private conversations to have, and he, a grown man, didn't want to seem petty.

So that soft bed became his outlet for anger all night. He tossed and turned on it, his eyes wide open, cursing Shen Xiao a thousand times in his mind.

Who is this trip really for?!

But he, on the other hand, so easily gave up the opportunity to get close to Lin Yuqing, and slept soundly in his room, snoring loudly, which he could hear clearly even through a wall!

Gu Mang let out a sigh of relief. Seeing that it was just getting light, he was about to close his eyes and rest for a while when the phone in the room suddenly rang.

"Third Master, Miss Jiang has gone out alone."

"What?" he exclaimed in surprise. "Where did she go?"

“Our men followed her early in the morning and saw her go to the beach… but that place wasn’t our private beach, it was a public area. Our men didn’t dare to let their guard down and kept watching, but they were afraid she would notice them, so they didn’t dare to get too close.”

Gu Mang narrowed his eyes slightly.

seaside?

The scenery there is nice, but it's already outside the Huo family's sphere of influence. There are practically no tourists there at this time of year, and if there's any danger...

Gu Mang immediately became alert and ordered in a deep voice, "Keep a close watch. If anything happens to them, you will be held responsible!"

The person on the other end of the phone answered nervously and hurriedly did as instructed.

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